SINGLE OF THE DAY: “Rock and Roll Deserves to Die” by The Darkness

Am I the only one who forgot that The Darkness was a thing, and a great thing at that? Known for their hilarious songs like “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and nonsensically fun high notes, these guys were big back in the early 2000s and then vanished (aka broke up) for a few years, reforming in 2011. Their next upcoming album is called Easter is Cancelled and is set for release on October 6th, 2019.

There’s something that’s always been fun about The Darkness and that camp and vibe of not taking themselves very seriously is evident in this song. Their traditional English/Scottish influence is still present in the guitar sound right from the start. Then suddenly the song blasts out (literally coinciding with a blast in the music video) and gets crazy and hilarious. I’ve always appreciated their ability to combine camp and good music, never sacrificing one for the other, and this song and its video are a good example of this. The song changes pace regularly but that doesn’t take away from what’s happening, and furthermore, the lyrics about how rock n’ roll must die are pretty good. Also, they know how to add some heavy chugging guitars and proper rock sound. All-in-all, it’s a pretty fun and funny song with an absolutely nonsensical music video. I expect nothing less from these guys at this point. Perhaps we’d better check out that new album!